Sleeping in a Fox Trap
by TrailBlazer912
Summary: 15 year old Ariel Braddock is in trouble. Not the usual teenager trouble anyway. Training her dog, an SRU family, and oh yeah a blood thirsty war gang after her father for Military secrets. After Ariel is attacked, her parents must find the assailant. No place is safe anymore. Not everyone can be trusted. Can the SRU help, or will they be too late? Formerly Once in a Life Time
1. Prolouge

**Aha…hey everbody…**

**So umm yeah I haven't updated ANYTHING in forever, but I have a good reason! I graduated a few months back and my education is now my main priority, along with riding.**

**So I am now and have been since two years ago been ADDICTED to Flashpoint. SO excited for 5****th**** season.**

**Just a note, this is a PROLOUGE ^points to title* I will be uploading another chapter HOPEFULLY soon. So yeah, ENJOY :D**

A small drop of blood trickled down Ariel's lip and ended at her chin.

Sam's eyes were wide with horror and Jules had to cover her mouth to suppress a scream.

Looking down, Ariel began to feel the red blood spreading under her yellow t-shirt.

Slowly swiping her fingers over the blood, she stared at it as if it was something from outer space.

Looking up at her parents, registering the horror in their faces, she began to feel woozy and the world was dotted with black spots.

Ariel felt her knees give out and she collapsed into a heap.

Then she blacked out.

**Short n' sweet. **

**Like it? Yay! Hate it? Too bad XD**

**Review!**


	2. Capable

**_EDITED AS OF 9/25/2012  
_**

**_So yeah, I didn't like how this was written, and I missed a few things in certain sentences and it was really, really bad so I edited it!  
_**

**_Chapter three will be out soon! __ Promise!__  
_**

**Told you all I would update soon!**

**So this chapter might get a bit confusing, especially with the dog part. Just go with it until you get to the BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. **

**Then read what I have written and it will all make sense :D**

**I do not own flashpoint because if I did, things would be a lot more interesting (mwahahaha!) But I DO own Ariel, so don't steal her. **

It had been a simple trip to the park, the three Braddocks, their dog and no one else. Jules and Sam finally had a day off along with their daughter, so they decided, _what the hell_, and went to the park to relax.

But that apparently wasn't how things were supposed to play out.

* * *

**Two Hours Earlier**

"Mom! Dad! C'monnnn!" the fifteen year old stretched out the "n" in her whine. Her sandy brown hair fell from its pony tail and cascaded down her back, ending half way down her waist.

Officer, the loyal German Sheppard, tagged along, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as they both climbed into the Jeep, peeking over the back to glare at the couple who seemed to be taking their sweet- _freaking_- time to get moving.

Sam finally emerged from the townhouse, rolling his eyes. Azure met azure as the daughter and father playfully glared at each other.

"Ariel, it's the park, not the Hockey Championships. And since when do you shove _us_ along when going somewhere? We had to haul you out of bed this morning just to get up." Sam raised his eyebrows and Ariel scoffed.

"Puh-lease, Dad. That's totally different! Sleep is valuable but a day off when both my parents don't have a shift is a miracle. Where's Mom?" and with that, Ariel's apparent ADD had her snapping back to another topic.

Sam laughed and shook his head.

"Grabbing the leash _you _forgot for Officer." Sam said and Ariel blinked innocently.

"But Officer _hates_ his leash. And c'mon, he was a police dog* for crying out loud! I can call him back with a whistle and he's perfectly well behaved!" Ariel lamented, pressed her cheek into Officer's and wrapping her arms around his middle. Officer however, shrugged her off and placed his paws over her, looking at something out the window that had caught his attention

Sam rolled his eyes and snorted. "Yeah, right, '_perfectly well behaved!'_ Leash now."

Sighing, Ariel grumbled to herself before pushing Officer off of her and climbing out of the Jeep.

She made her way over to the house and pulled the door open, grabbed the leash and jogged back over to the car.

Plopping back down in the backseat, she glared at her father before clicking the leash into its place on Officer's collar.

However, Officer's ears perked and swiveled towards something in the distance.

Jules had since gotten into the car and looked quizzically back at her daughter, who shrugged and tried to shove the German Shepard off of her, but he wouldn't budge.

Ariel raised an eyebrow and her parents looked back at her and the dog, confusion written over their faces.

"What's with Officer?" Sam asked, and Ariel shrugged.

"What's up, boy? See a squirrel?" Ariel asked and Officer growled in response. His ears flat against his head, the German Sheppard leaped out of the open roof and dashed off into the bushes before anyone could react.

"Officer!" Ariel cried and raced to get out of the car. Jules and Sam were after her in a flash.

Ariel sprinted after her dog, wondering what in the world would make him act this way.

Finally catching up on the dog's tail (no pun intended), Ariel spotted that he was running after _someone_.

The man was dressed in all black, his black hair cropped short. He was tan and looked foreign. Hearing him shouting a different language told Ariel she was correct.

The man jumped into a black van that seemed to come out of nowhere. Once the man was inside, the car sped off quickly, leaving Officer barking madly in the street.

"_Officer! Arretez tout de suite (2)!" _Ariel shouted and the dog immediately skidded to a halt and waited for Ariel to catch up, still growling.

Grabbing the leash she had thankfully remembered to clip onto his collar, Ariel heaved a sigh and guided her dog back onto the sidewalk, where her parents found her moments later.

"What was that all about?!" Jules asked spying Officer pulling at his leash to try and follow the black van that had disappeared around the corner.

Ariel shrugged, her brow furrowing. "I dunno. He's usually so calm. He just took off after this guy randomly and then when he got in his car Officer tried to follow him _still._" Ariel shook her head.

"Weird..." Sam muttered, sharing a glance with Jules that their daughter couldn't decipher.

"What?" she demanded and the two only laughed before walking away, calling over their shoulders for her to hurry up or she wouldn't get to the park anytime soon.

"Seriously, what?!" Ariel demanded a second time before climbing into the car.

She was met with silence from her father and a small laugh from her mother.

* * *

As soon as the family arrived at the park, Sam parked the Jeep and they all got out, Ariel and Officer immediately running off to avoid having to lay out blankets or stick around with her parents.

"She gets the procrastination from you." Jules said simply as Ariel dashed out of hearing point when her father called her back.

"Eh, it's a family trait." He shrugged and Jules rolled her doe eyes, but her smile gave away her true feelings.

The small family stayed there for about an hour, enjoying the calmness of the afternoon. No hot calls, no school, nothing but themselves and the other pedestrians walking around the park.

No one would have even guessed that Sam or Jules were SRU officers, or that Officer had been a Canine Unit dog. They were all just happy for once to be normal.

After about two hours at the park, Sam's phone rang. Ignoring the glare from Jules (he had promised to leave his cell in the Jeep but had evidently "forgotten") he got up and walked a few paces away to answer the call.

"Braddock." He barked into his phone. Someone should have had a damn good reason to interrupt his day off – the first in months.

"Hello there, Samuel." A cold voice rang on the other end of the phone and Sam felt a shiver run down his spine, something that a trained Military man and sniper should never feel.

"Who is this?" Sam asked cautiously. There were a few hushed laughs on the other end and he raised an eye brow.

"Who we are isn't important. What we are capable of _is_." The voice snarled.

"What's that supposed to mean, exactly?" Now Sam was suspicious.

"Pardon me if this sounds a bit cliche, but we are, have been and will be your worst nightmares. Isn't that right, Badass Jr?"

Now Sam was angry.

"You do realize who you are talking to, correct? I'm going to ask you one more time before I report this: _who are you?_" Sam spat back. The voices on the other end of the line laughed and spoke in some foreign language.

"And how are you going to do that on your day off?" the voice sneered and Sam froze.

Before he could comment, the voice spoke again.

"Oh yes, Samuel. We can see every movement you, your dog, your wife, _your daughter_ make. Would you like a sample of what we can do?" the voice asked.

"What do you want?" Sam asked through gritted teeth and the voice automatically responded.

"Project: Fox Trap. Details, Constable Braddock. And quickly, the clock is ticking." Eyes wide, Sam barely got a "Go to hell" out before pressing the "end call" button.

"Ariel! Jules! We need to move, now!" Sam called and Jules and Ariel looked up from petting Officer. Jules' brow furrowed but her eyes were wide with fear as she saw Sam's expression.

Yanking their daughter to her feet, Jules didn't even bother getting the blanket she had spread out before dashing for the car, Officer hot on the two's trail.

There was a shot and Ariel screamed. Looking back through the fray of people running away from the gun shots, he saw Ariel had been just a moment ago where the bullet hole was now in the dirt.

Dashing along tree cover, Sam grabbed Jules and Ariel, tugging them faster.

However, a shot in at the tree directly next to them made Ariel scream and leap out into the sunlight.

"_Ariel, no!"_ Jules screamed but it was too late.

A shot rang in the air and Ariel balked, taking a step backwards.

She coughed and turned to face her parents.

A small drop of blood had trickled down Ariel's lip and ended at her chin.

Sam's eyes were wide with horror and Jules had to cover her mouth to suppress a scream.

Looking down, Ariel began to feel the red blood spreading under her yellow t-shirt.

Slowly swiping her fingers over the blood, she stared at it as if it was something from outer space.

Looking up at her parents, registering the horror in their faces, she began to feel woozy and the world was dotted with black spots.

Ariel felt her knees give out and she collapsed into a heap.

Then she blacked out.

**What cha think? Short I know, but hey, I can't help it. I have a massive head ache and if I type any longer I will definitely pass out.**

**(*) Officer is a character in another Flashpoint story I am currently writing. All in all, he was a former Police dog that Ariel saved. Can't give too much away or the story will be ruined!**

**(2) Since I saw a Flashpoint episode where there was a canine chase, I think they were speaking French (correct me if I'm wrong please) so I threw this in. **

***NOTE* All of Officer's commands will be in French, so have your google translates ready if you care about what Ariel is saying to him. At this particular time, she was screaming: "STOP RIGHT NOW!"**

**Be kind and Review, mkay? **


	3. Blame Game

3. Blame Game

**GAAAH ITS SO TERRIBLE T^T**

**I'm so sorry I took so long to get this chapter up! I've had a really busy schedule lately and I also have a MAJOR case of writers block -.-' So sorry if this sucks.**

**Disclaimer: I no own. **

* * *

As Jules watched her daughter crumble to the ground, a shriek escaped her lips.

Time seemed to stop for a painfully slow moment, and Jules felt her scream hang in the air for a moment before the world kept on spinning.

She felt her feet began to move into a sprint to get to her daughter, but Sam held her back.

"Sam Braddock! You asshole let go of me!" Jules screamed, almost drowned out by the other shouts and shrieks from the others fleeing the park.

"Jules, get a hold of yourself! If you go out there too you could get shot too!" Sam roared but it fell on deaf ears.

Seeing no other option, Sam dragged Jules back into the tree cover, kicking and screaming for her daughter, and tried to calm her down.

However, the SRU Officer's eyes were only for her daughter and as soon as Sam had lessened his grip on her, she dashed off to Ariel's limp form.

This time, when Jules appeared in the sunlight, there were no shots. Sam waited, praying nothing would happen, no gun fire like the last time.

Much to his relief, there was nothing.

Nothing moved as Jules frantically searched their daughter for a pulse, Officer keeping watch and growling at anything that wasn't Jules or himself that came within two feet.

Hastily taking out his cell, he dialed Winnie's number.

The phone rang for a few beats before he heard Winnie's voice.

_"Sam, what's up? Isn't today your day off?_" Winnie asked on the other end.

"Winnie, we have a problem. Get EMS to Harrison Park, send Team One if they're available." Sam choked out and Winnie's voice came back after a moment.

"_Sam, what's wrong, is everything okay?_" Winnie asked, panic slowly ebbing over her usually calm voice and Sam let out a long breath.

"Ariel's been shot."

* * *

Greg had never driven so violently in his life.

Sirens blaring, not stopping for anything, not even the safety of pedestrians.

The pedestrians could go to hell for all he cared; his granddaughter had been shot and he sure as hell was going to get to her in time.

He had talked to Sam on the phone and knew the man was a short while aways from panicking, and it took a whole lot to get an ex- Military and SRU officer like Sam Braddock to break a sweat.

To hear how Jules was doing, though, almost killed him.

He had given Jules away, since her own father was too stubborn to even come to his only daughter's wedding. He had been the first one (other than Sam, of course) to be told she was pregnant. He had been the first one to arrive for Ariel's birth.

Jules was his self proclaimed heart, his right hand and he hurt for her as he realized how broken she was.

Slamming on the breaks as they pulled up next to the park, he immediately parked the car and almost leaped out to meet Jules. It had been four minutes exactly since the last shot had been fired, and there were already so many police officers and civilians trying to see what was going on.

She was sitting with Officer near Ariel, and seemed to be uncaring of the fact that Officer looked about ready to bite the arm off of the first responder who was inching closer.

"Ma'am, I need to ask you to call your dog off." The officer was saying, but Jules was unresponsive.

"Ma'am, please, I need you to call this dog off or I will be forced to-"

"One, she's not going to respond when you call her 'Ma'am' , it's 'Officer', and two that won't be necessary. SRU is taking over this case." Greg said bluntly as he neared far enough.

The officer seemed put off by this fact and grumbled to himself as he stalked back to his cruiser.

Officer resumed his growling, but once realizing that it was Greg, he stopped and perked his ears.

He sat down on his haunches and barked twice, recognizing Greg.

Patting the dog's head as he passed, Greg moved to Jules' side.

"Jules, you need to let the EMS take Ariel now." Greg murmured gently, but Jules shook her head.

"No...I can't. If I do..." Jules sobbed, still trying to suppress the blood flow that still leaked through her fingers.

"Jules, please, sweetheart, I need to you to let go. Ari is going to be fine, okay?" Greg said more forcefully this time.

"Sarge...please, I can't lose my baby girl." Jules pleaded.

"Jules, you know and the cop in you knows that Ariel will be in better hands with the EMS. Please, Jules, do it for Ariel." Greg whispered.

Jules shook her head harder and Greg sighed in frustration.

"She's in shock, we've been trying to get her to come with us since we got here." A paramedic commented as he passed.

Greg sighed and turning his head, he saw Sam standing just behind him.

Gesturing for the man to come closer and take Jules, he pried her away from Ariel, who was quickly given over to the EMS.

Jules was sobbing uncontrollably now, and even though Sam's best efforts were great, Jules still couldn't get her breathing or her tears under control.

"Sam, get her out of here." Greg called and Sam nodded before beginning to lead Jules back towards the rest of the Team. She put up less of a fight this time, but he still had to support her as they walked.

Greg watched, fearful for his family and his friends as the ambulance door slammed shut and it sped off.

Turning around, he shouted over to a few lingering Unis.

"Get them back! We don't need this crowd here right now."

The Unis nodded and began pushing the crowd back.

This was going to be a hell of a day.

* * *

Two hours later, they were back at the barn. Sam and Jules were both nervous wrecks as they waited for word that their daughter to get out of surgery.

Jules was a shell of her normal self. She refused to utter a word to anyone except Sam and she kept wringing her hands that were still caked with her daughter's blood, staring at her cell.

When her phone finally rung, Jules had it picked up before the first ring even stopped.

Everything went quiet as Team One stared at Jules, waiting a painstakingly long time for her to finish the call.

"-Yes, thank you. Call me on this number if anything changes." Jules breathed and hung up the phone.

She turned to her team mates, eyes clouded with fear and sadness.

"They said she's in a medical induced coma for now. T-to help her heal faster, apparently. Went straight through her abdomen and she lost so much blood. Said her vitals were good but the next twenty four hours are key." To her horror, Jules' voice cracked and tears began to spill over her eyelids.

To say that the team was shocked was an understatement. Jules never cried, _never_. Not in front of them, at least. She tried her hardest to break the stereotype that a woman was too weak to be in the SRU, and most of the time she succeeded.

Taking OT without complaint, volunteering for extra shifts, second to the boss in negotiation, one of the best snipers in the business and also beating over 300 other men to get into the SRU.

But these rare moments did occur when she broke down, and almost losing her precious daughter spurred her over the edge of control.

"I-It's all my fault!" Jules gasped as she tried to wipe her tears away, but Ed shook his head.

"Jules, you can't blame yourself for this. You had no idea that someone was targeting Ariel, Sam or you. You did the right thing. What happened to Ariel was an accident; she leaped out of tree cover _by accident_." Ed stressed but Jules once again refused to see reason.

"If I had just been holding her tighter...if I hadn't let her go or let her get so close to the edge of the tree line..." Jules hissed.

"Jules-" Spike began but she shook her head.

"I had her...My hand was on her arm she was _safe_," Jules spat. Her tears were dry now, replaced with only guilt and anger at herself. "How could I have let her...?" Jules trailed off.

With that, Jules turned on her heel and walked out of the room and into the women's locker room. Leah went to follow, but Sam shook his head.

"No, she needs to be alone for a while; let her cool off." Sam murmured.

Even though he knew Jules better perhaps then she knew herself, Sam couldn't tell what was running through her head. He wanted so badly to hold her close and tell her everything would be okay.

But all he could do was hear the women's locker room door slam shut and pray his daughter was going to be alright.

* * *

It was so warm.

Ariel knew that immediately, but she was still confused as to where, why and how.

She could tell she was in a bed, that she was sure of. However, she couldn't remember how she had gotten there.

But fighting for consciousness, Ariel pried her eyelids open.

She was in her own room, that she was relieved to see. Her butter yellow walls were comforting to her and her old peace sign comforter gave off more warmth than she had remembered it to in the past.

"Oh good, you're awake!"

Ariel jumped, suddenly sitting upright.

Looking to her right she smiled as she saw her mother sitting next to her.

"Mom!" Ariel exclaimed, suddenly hit with a strange feeling of love and longing for her mother.

She flung her arms around her mother who laughed softly and stroked the back of her head softly.

"Hey...what's the matter?" Jules asked quietly, and Ariel realized she was crying.

"I-I don't know. I'm just happy to see you." Ariel murmured.

Jules hesitated before answering.

"Sweetie...I'm not here, you know that don't you?" Jules murmured and Ariel's eyes widened. She suddenly felt a pain in her lower stomach.

Lifting the covers away, she peered down to see a large red stain against her purple pajamas.

She looked back to her mother, but she wasn't there anymore.

"Mom?" Ariel called to the empty room. Her voice bounced around the room which seemed to stretch on forever.

"Mom?!" She tried again, but nothing happened.

Her room slowly began to decay around her. The pain peeled off the walls, the carpet sunk into nothingness and her window that had been shining with sunlight was suddenly blacker than night.

She let out a shriek as her vision suddenly faded into white and her room disappeared for good.

* * *

Ariel's real eyes snapped open and she looked wildly around the room.

It was unfamiliar. White walls, and something kept beeping. The smell of disinfectant was strong in the air and it made her feel like she wanted to be sick. She felt a pain in her tummy but when she tried to urge her body to move, nothing happened.

"Mom?" she croaked. There was no response.

Ariel began to panic now. She had since regained control of some of her motor skills and thrashed around in her bed.

"Mom?!" she tried again her voice growling louder. Her voice regained it's volume and soon she was screaming for her mother.

Almost all at once, people in white coats were streaming into the room, holding her down, shouting at each other for different supplies.

One woman kept trying to get her to respond to her questions, but Ariel just kept screaming for her mother.

Finally, she felt a pin prick of pain in her arm and suddenly she felt woozy.

Before she slipped back into unconsciousness, she heard her name being called from somewhere far away.

* * *

**I know, it sucks, PLEASE don't tell me that. I already know T^T.**

**But reviews motivate me and motivating me = more chapters so please, Review!**


	4. Of Wintry Galas and Foggy Mirrors

**GAAAAH I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON!**

**I'm so sorry to leave you guys hanging for so long and almost ignoring this story, but I literally DELETED six pages of my previous idea for this story because it wasn't good enough.**

**So I had to start from scratch. Again. **

**So I hate to leave you guys hanging, but this chapter will be a flashback, giving more insight to Jules, Sam and Ariel as a family.**

_****NOTE OF IMPORTANCE********_

_It is mentioned later in the chapter that Ariel plays a song on the piano._

_The name of this song is Einaudi: Nuvole Bianche - Nuvole Bianche_

_Its REALLY good, go listen to it :D_

**Disclaimer: Anything you don't recognize is MIIIINE. Anything you DO isn't. **

* * *

"Remind me again _why_ we're doing this?" Ariel whined for the thirteenth time as Sam pulled into the spacious driveway. Sam rolled his eyes and looked over to his wife who just simply sighed.

"Ariel, this will be the last time I repeat myself. We were graciously invited by your grandparents to the New Year's Eve Gala and Military fundraiser." Jules explained slowly, and Ariel groaned in annoyance.

"But why do _I _have to be here?! Isn't this an adult party anyway?" Ariel groaned, picking at her black cocktail dress. It was a nice dress, the poke-a-dot see through straps and ruffle top made her fall head over heels for the dress, but she wished she could be using it for something more worth her time.

Ariel's charcoal gray coat and purple scarf were secure over her dress, but she couldn't help a shiver that ran down her spine as she got out of her father's car and her kitten heel-clad feet touched the snow.

"It was extended to our _entire _family, Ari. I'm sorry but we couldn't worm our way out of this one. Trust me, we tried." Sam muttered the last part, just as moody as his daughter. He looked smart in his black dress shoes, pants, white dress shirt and nice jacket, but Jules couldn't help but think how idiotic he was being.

Smacking him on the arm with her cerulean clutch, Jules heaved a sigh, running a hand through the hair that fell over her shoulders gracefully. The cerulean strapless cocktail dress fit her well, but he could see her shivering in her smaller pull over coat. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. She was _always_ cold.

Adjusting the black belt around her hips, Jules smoothed Ariel's hair down before taking her hand and almost dragging her to the doorway.

The mansion was really what it was – a mansion. It was fit to hold maybe over a hundred people and looked regal and domineering with its candle light glow and music gently seeping out of its windows. The gently falling snow and presence of the dark sky only made it more beautiful.

Knocking on the door, Jules shifted closer to Sam and he put a reassuring arm around her.

The door creaked open and the three were met with Renee Braddock's smiling face.

The older woman was clad in an elegant red cocktail dress that Sam suspected coasted more than Ariel's college fund, but he didn't dare say anything out loud to his mother.

"Samuel! Jules! Ariel! So wonderful to see you! Natalie and Kristin just arrived; your father has been waiting to see you!" Renee smiled and gestured for the family to come in. As soon as they stepped into the parlor, two maids came and took their jackets and hurried off.

"Everyone is in the ballroom. Dinner will be at 8:30 sharp. Oh and Ariel," Renee smiled at Ariel who turned around almost anxiously.

"Yes, Grandmother?" she plastered a fake smile on her face and tried to look happy to be there.

"A few other teenagers are up in the den upstairs, cousins and so forth. Take a right up the grand stair and there will be a single oak door on your left."

Seeing her grandmother wasn't giving her much of an option, she thanked her before sulking up the golden-bow-clad stairwell.

"Think she'll be alright?" Jules asked as her daughter disappeared out of sight. Sam shrugged.

"Probably. Knowing Ariel, she'll have her headphones in the minute she gets up there." Sam smiled and Jules rolled her eyes before allowing Sam to lead her into the ballroom.

The silence of the parlor was shattered once the doors were opened and the couple entered the ballroom. With its high, arching ceilings and beautiful golden walls, Jules had to stop herself from openly gaping.

So many people lingered around the ballroom, dancing, talking, eating. It was hard for Jules to not shrink into Sam's arms and cover her eyes at the enormity of it all.

Sam however looked as if this was nothing less than a stroll in the park. He even looked mildly bored with the situation.

"How are you alright with all of this?" Jules hissed, trying to smile. Sam smirked but shrugged.

"I grew up with this posh and perverse lifestyle. Hated every second of it, but grew up with it." Sam sighed. Jules rolled her eyes before a waitress shoved glasses of champagne into their hands before walking off.

"Well that wasn't rude at all." Jules mused.

"Its her job to be as pushy as possible." Sam commented lightly before taking a sip of the fizzy beverage.

"Badass Junior." A voice called from behind the couple. Sam turned and hearing his old nickname, Jules turned as well.

A man in his mid-to late forties walked towards them, his black suit and red colored dress shirt sticking out in the blander colors of the room.

He had military short black cropped hair, a twisted smile and dark, almost black eyes.

But as soon as Sam saw him his face broke out into a smile.

"Switch! Can't believe you made it, man! Thought you were still recruiting!" Sam laughed and hugged the man before towing him over to where Jules stood.

"Jules, this is Jack Henson, or as he was commonly known to us in the JTF-2, Switch." Sam left Switch's side and wrapped an arm around Jules' waist once more.

Switch's eyes lit up and he coyly smiled at Jules.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Haven't seen many beautiful young women as you here tonight." Switch winked and Jules blushed a bit but rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for the flattery, but I'm called for." Jules said before lifting up her hand to showcase her wedding ring.

Switch's eyes widened and he looked from Sam to Jules and back again.

"You got married?!" he gaped and Sam shook his head and sighed.

"Yes, we did. Fourteen years ago. Geez man, you got the invitation." Sam rolled his eyes as Switch continued to gape.

"Sorry, sorry, just kinda forgot you actually _settled down_ with someone who could put up with you." Switch laughed and Sam just rolled his eyes.

Switch laughed for a few more minutes before the conversation was finally turned around.

"So Jules," Switch started, and Jules looked up from her untouched champagne glass. She never really enjoyed champagne except for a few special occasions, and she didn't really see this as one of them.

"How long have you known Badass Jr here?" Switch asked Jules and she responded first with a smile.

"Eighteen years." She replied and Switch looked a little shocked.

"Damn, eighteen years putting up with this guy? You must be some heck of a woman to stay married to that guy." Switch laughed, taking another sip of his champagne.

"Well considering she pulled a gun on me when we first met..." Sam laughed and Jules smiled and shook her head.

Just as Jules was about to retort, someone tapped Sam on the shoulder. Turning, he was met face to face with his older sister.

His smile immediately disappeared and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from asking her to kindly throw herself off of a bridge as soon as their eyes met.

"Kristin." He greeted flatly.

His older sister had never really been a favorite to him. She was two years his senior but acted as if she was ten. He rivaled her in height but not in attitude.

He had been a cocky jerk before, but eighteen years had changed his attitude. Kristin still didn't seem to want to let go of her stuck up personality. Her pale gray eyes she inherited from their father made her look as cold as she was, and her short blonde hair was curled up into a bun.

The longer plum dress suited her nicely and Sam could see two men trailing behind her.

He had to suppress and eye roll. Kristin had always been the one to hog the spotlight of the party.

"Samuel." She quipped.

Jules then chose her moment to turn around to see what her husband was doing.

Seeing Jules, Kristin's eyes narrowed and she looked over the smaller woman once before her eyes flickered back to Sam.

"So, what exactly made you decide to show up to _this_ gala instead of the ones that we had every year before this one?" Kristin said icily and Sam fought back a growl.

"Nice to see you too, sis. No I'm fine, thanks for asking." Sam commented sarcastically.

"Childish as ever." Kristin sighed.

"Well if you haven't noticed, being part of the SRU means I have to work. A lot. Not to mention I've been a little more preoccupied with raising my daughter." Sam shot back.

This made Kristin raise an eyebrow.

"A daughter? Since when?" she snapped and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Fourteen years ago? You got the wedding invitation; you got the phone call and letter saying that she had been born. Unless you are that clueless or just don't check your phone or voicemail, don't give me that crap about 'since when'." Sam snarled and Kristin let out a dry laugh.

"Please, Samuel. Don't be so immature. I actually don't have a lot of time to idle. Father wants to see you." Kristin huffed and Sam sighed.

"Right, wondering when this was going to roll around." He nodded in goodbye to Switch who nodded back. After years of knowing Sam, he knew that when the great General came calling you answered.

Making their way through the crowd of people, Sam dragged Jules after his sister, not wanting to bare this burden alone.

Reaching his father, Jules had the slightest incline to hide behind Sam.

This was not a feeling that Jules Callaghan, one of the only women to join the SRU who had beat out over 300 other _men_ applicants to get the coveted spot on Team One, had often.

But looking up –literally –at Sam's father made Jules want to back away slowly and once again wished she had her Remy on her.

He was tall, even taller than Sam and with his graying hair and sharp gray eyes he looked colder than ice.

General Braddock was a scary man, but Jules had courage, and she began to crave her Remy for an entirely different reason.

This was the man that had almost pulled them apart. This was the man who told Sam that the SRU couldn't make a difference. This was the man that refused to show up to their wedding because it was "shameful" for two team mates to get married even though they've been cleared by the Chief for, at that point, over two years.

Her chin lifted higher, Jules took Sam's arm and almost pulled him towards the General.

Once reaching the older man, there was silence for a moment. No one spoke, no one moved.

The General finally made a move to speak with the clearing of his throat.

"Samuel…Julianna." The General addressed her formally and her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Jules is fine." She interjected and Sam had to hide his smile in his drink. Leave it to Jules to make a hostile first impression.

"Jules then. Nice to finally meet you." The General said no real empathy in his voice.

"Same to you." Jules said, trying her hardest to sound earnest.

The fact that she had to be nice to this man was making her nauseated by the second.

Sipping her champagne, she saw Sam flash an apologetic smile before being hauled away by the General, leaving her with-…

Kristin.

Joy.

The two women stood in silence for a moment, avoiding eye contact. Finally, feeling like she should be the bigger woman, Jules cleared her throat.

"So, you're Sam's older sister?" Jules attempted a conversation topic.

"I am. And I see you are his wife?" Kristin quipped, gesturing to Jules' ring. Jules had to resist rolling her eyes. _No, I'm his daughter._ She thought sarcastically to herself.

"Yes, we've been married for fourteen years now." Jules tried to not let the bite set into her words. Kristin raised an eyebrow.

"Fourteen years…and you have a child?" her curiosity seemed to be peaked at this point and Jules raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, we do; a daughter. She's around here somewhere…" Jules looked around for a moment before remembering that Ariel was supposed to be upstairs.

"I think she's upstairs," Jules turned to go, but realizing that Kristin wasn't moving, turned around and gestured for her to follow.

"You _do_ want to meet her, right?"

Kristin was rigid but nodded and began to follow Jules out of the loud ballroom. Winding their way up the stairs, Jules was about to enter the den when she heard a familiar song playing in deep, soothing chords.

The two women abandoned the den to search for the source of the piano playing.

Finally reaching a door at the end of the hall, its tall mahogany frame enough to take Jules' breath away, Kristin opened the door silently and the two women stepped in.

The room was furnished in reds and blacks; beautiful tapestries lining the walls on all sides. The dark oak book shelves lined the walls were stacked high with books that had more dust on them than Jules had seen since her grandparent's attic.

But the main attraction of the room was an ebony piano standing polished and gleaming in the center of the room.

Ariel sat on the small piano bench and had her back to them. Her fingers moved freely and smoothly along the keys, producing a beautiful melody. Jules closed her eyes and smiled.

Even from when her daughter was a little girl, barely tall enough to reach the keys when on the piano bench, Jules had loved listening to her songs as she did laundry, read, made dinner or just sat next to her as she played.

As Ariel finished the song, Jules walked up to Ariel, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ariel jumped at the sudden contact and looked up, relief flooding her face to see it was only her mother.

"Found me." She giggled and Jules smiled.

"I always do. Beautiful playing, Ari. Den got boring?" Jules smiled and Ariel shrugged.

"Once they heard the name 'Braddock' it was like I was a princess or something. 'Got sick of it so I escaped and hid in here." Jules rolled her eyes. Leave it to superficial military teens…

"There's someone I would like you to meet."

Ariel raised an eyebrow before shrugging and turning around on the bench.

Spotting the woman on the other side of the room, Jules practically dragged Ariel over to her.

"Ariel, this is your Aunt Kristin." Jules nodded for Ariel to introduce herself, and Ariel had to suppress and eye roll.

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you, Aunt Kristin." Ariel inwardly cringed. She hated being so formal with people, especially adults. She sounded like she had been rehearsing this spiel all day.

The woman, who had been frozen in place ever since she had turned around, blinked once before swallowing.

"Y-You said Ariel was your name?" Kristin parroted. Raising an eyebrow, Ariel nodded slowly.

"Yes…That would be me."

Kristin pursed her lips and her face contorted into a look of savage hatred towards Jules.

"Lovely. If you will excuse me, I believe I have wasted enough time here."

And with that, Kristin was gone.

* * *

"Well that was a disaster." Sam said as he threw his jacket down onto one of the chairs in the living room.

"Disaster is a bit of an understatement." Ariel commented as she passed, kicking off her uncomfortable heels as she went. They collided each on a different spot against the wall leaving scuff marks on the already ruined paneling at the bottom.

"Watch it." Jules reminded as she entered last, setting her purse down on the table.

"Oh please, Mom." Ariel rolled her eyes before wiggling her freed toes on the hardwood floor.

"Now if you would excuse me, I'm going to go and take a nice long, hot bath before going to bed and pretending I never met the majority of people I did tonight." Ariel stated and spun on her heel before dashing up the steps.

Sam watched her go, a bemused smile on his face. Turning, he grabbed a beer from the fridge before sitting down on the couch, his feet up on the coffee table.

He let his head loll back, closing his eyes as relaxation took hold of him. He was just about to slip into a comatose state of peace when he felt a small smack on his lower knee.

Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Jules standing above him, hands on her hips. She raised her eyebrows as he left his feet up on the coffee table.

After a moment of battling eyes, Sam lowered his feet and Jules smiled triumphantly.

Sitting down next to him, Jules curled her feet under her and laid her head on Sam's side, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her.

"The party wasn't all that bad." Jules murmured gently and Sam sighed.

"Maybe, but I just hate the fact that my family is just so..." Sam seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

"Up tight?" Jules offered and Sam shrugged.

"I was thinking something slightly more explicit, but that works too."

Jules smacked him with a pillow and he chuckled.

"I was wondering about something your sister said though." Jules said after she had settled back into Sam's embrace.

"Oh? What did she do this time?" Sam didn't sound too surprised and Jules made a mental note to ask him about his battles with his sister later.

"She was just acting really weird. I took her to meet Ariel and as soon as Ariel went up to introduce herself, she turned tail and ran. Said she had better things to do or something like that." Jules shook her head and sighed.

Sam raised an eye brow but said nothing, prompting Jules to rephrase her question.

"So...any particular reason why she would be so rude and just walk out like that?"

Sam sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Jules, its been a long day, can this wait till tomorrow?" he pleaded, but Jules was unimpressed.

"Sam, if there's some big family secret I need to know about, now would be a good time since I do and have held the name 'Braddock' for about a good few years of my life." Jules bristled and Sam let out a slow breath.

After a slightly tense pause, Sam began his explanation.

"You remember the story of my little sister, right?" he asked after a pause. Jules nodded slowly, not exactly sure where this was going.

"I never told you her name, did I?" he asked and Jules shook her head slowly.

"No...you didn't."

"Her name was Ariel." Sam murmured. Jules' eyes widened and she had to fight to keep from her jaw from going slack.

"So...you're telling me that we named our daughter after your late little sister, and your big sister is pissed because we named Ariel what we did, and that's the reason your dad isn't talking to us other than the fact that he has some stupid family pride?" Jules clarified.

"In a nutshell, yes." Sam nodded.

"But its just a name, why is she so...angry?" Jules asked, her eye brows knitted together in confusion.

"I didn't even know it at the time when she was born, but our Ariel looks exactly like my little sister, a carbon copy if you will." Sam sighed.

Jules' eyes widened.

"Is that why your sister made her getaway when she did, after she saw Ariel up close?" Jules asked and Sam shrugged.

"Possibly. My sister never has been good at dealing with feeling grief or any emotion for that matter, so I guess seeing Ariel again brought up some less than welcome emotions." He spat bitterly.

There was silence or a moment before Jules sat back down next to Sam and they resumed their previous position, his arm around her waist and her head comfortably nuzzled into his side.

"So how do we explain this to Ariel?" Jules asked after a moment and Sam shrugged.

"Does she really need to know? I mean, its hard enough that she was named after a dead person," Jules shot him a look which he pointedly ignored, "and I guess that knowing that the reason her Aunt was so resentful of her was out of her control wouldn't make her feel much better. Maybe its best to leave it as is." Sam concluded and Jules sighed then nodded.

"Maybe.."

Unbeknown to the couple, Ariel was perched at the top of the stairs, Officer's head in her lap as she stroked his head and listened to the conversation.

Ariel wasn't much for eavesdropping, but on occasion she felt the need to peak into her parent's personal conversations.

A feeling of bile rose in her throat as she let the information sink in.

Retreating back into the bathroom, she wiped away the fog from the mirror and stared at herself in the mirror.

She did that every day for the rest of her life after that day, trying to figure out why she was cursed and blessed with how she looked.

* * *

**Okay, please, don't kill me.**

**I have been EXTREMELY busy this past month (or has it been two months?) and I know I might have lost some avid readers, but I promise chapter five is already in the making!**

**Lame ending, I know, but I felt the need to just post the darn thing and get it over with.**

**Might take it down and edit it later, but lets cross that bridge when we get to it.**

Review...Please?


	5. Left Out

Chapter five: Left Out

**I'm back from the dead! Sorry for the delay, writers block was really bad this time -.-; hopefully it won't happen again (hehehe...don't count on it -_-')**

**Well, dear readers, Flashpoint has ended officially. Sad, yes, but this story will continue! I'm not giving up yet!**

**As regard to the name, it will be relevant later in the story.**

**Also, this story is officially AU since we now know what happens after Flashpoint. SO YEAH.**

* * *

Three days.

Three days of excruciating pain and silent tears.

Sarge had almost insisted that she go home to rest and take the week off, but Jules being Jules refused to have it. She needed to have something to keep her from thinking about Ariel.

The day had been quiet, no Hot Calls at all. They patrolled under a cloud of gloom that not even Spike had the spirit to lift.

Jules had been restless and morbid all day, refusing to speak unless absolutely necessary.

She wanted to be at the hospital with Ariel as she had been doing with every spare moment she had, but at the same time she felt she wanted to be closer to her family and the team, especially Sam.

After returning to the barn, Jules took more than the time needed to get ready and changed and made sure that Leah was gone before sitting down on the bench.

Jules only lifted her head from her hands as she heard her cell ring.

Looking down and seeing that it was a local number, she picked up immediately.

"Hello?" she cringed as her own voice sounded cracked and hoarse.

"_Constable Callaghan?" _the woman on the other end of the line asked.

"Speaking." Jules replied robotically.

_"My name is Sandra from St. James' Hospital. Your daughter has regained consciousness and since you're her first emergency contact I was told to contact you before anyone else. She's in and out, but we wanted to bring it to your attention in case you-"_

"How is she?" Jules cut the woman off. She worried her lip between her teeth and stood from the bench in the woman's locker room.

"_She's stable, but she's not quite out of the woods yet. We're doing everything we can to make sure she'll make a full recovery. She's been moved out of the ICU. If you would like, you may come down now before visiting hours are over."_ the woman on the other end of the line answered her question stoically and Jules had to hold herself steady not to drop the phone from her trembling hands.

A sniper's hands never trembled. Never.

* * *

By the time Jules had emerged from the woman's locker room, Sam had all but set up camp outside in the briefing room.

He had been dozing in one of the chairs, his feet up on the table.

Hearing the metallic _click_ of the key card lock signaling that Jules was out made his eyes snap open to attention.

Looking up, Sam's eyes locked with Jules'.

"I got a call." She said bluntly and Sam raised his eyebrows.

"From?" he asked and Jules began walking towards the elevators.

"The hospital. Ariel's awake."

Sam was up and out of his chair in seconds, barely catching up to Jules in time to slip into the elevator just as the doors closed.

As the two got into Jules' jeep with Sam at the wheel, Sam gently laid a hand over Jules'.

"Hey." he murmured gently as she turned away from him.

"Ariel's gonna be fine. Everything is gonna be okay, I swear. And don't even think about blaming yourself for this." Sam took her hand in his and kissed it.

Jules smiled slightly but her mouth returned to it's frown quickly enough.

She didn't remove her hand from Sam's but she did turn away from him, staring out the window as they drove along the familiar route to the hospital.

* * *

Walking into the hospital, Jules face retracted into a grimace as she smelled the antiseptic and cleaning solution that plagued the place.

Sam rubbed her upper arm comfortingly as they walked up to the front desk where a young woman was sorting through papers.

"Excuse me, we're here to see Ariel Braddock." Sam said and the woman's eyes snapped up to look at the couple.

"Next of kin?" she asked, almost robotically. Sam nodded and the nurse popped her gum.

"Room 433, right down that hall." the nurse said pointing over her shoulder to the corridor of long white rooms and different people in starch white lab coats filing through them.

Jules gave the woman a slight nod before rushing off.

"Jules." Sam called after his wife, but she seemed to either not hear him or not give a damn.

Rushing past different nurses and doctors, she counted room numbers a she went.

She was barely in the three hundreds when she head the scream.

Normally, she would have just shaken her head and walked on, but she knew that scream.

Jules had known that scream since the moment she had given birth to it's owner.

She all but sprinted down the corridor, knocking into random people, nurses and doctors who yelled at her to slow down or stop. She could faintly hear Sam calling for her as well.

_426...427...428...429_

The screams grew louder, and Jules realized who the owner of the scream was calling so desperately for.

_430...431..._

Screams of "Mom!" made her want to scream herself, but she pushed on, seeing that only one room was left.

_432..._

So close she could hear the moans of pain and the tears laced in with the screams now.

Finally arriving at the designated door, her mouth dropped in horror as she glimpsed what was going on inside.

Doctors and nurses were swarming Ariel. She thrashed around like a caged animal under the strong holds the doctors had on her.

"_Mom!_"

Barely able to contain her tears, Jules let out a desperate shriek.

"Ariel!" she called desperately. One of the nurses came over to her and tried to get her to back out of the room, but she refused to move.

"That's my daughter- get off of me!" she snarled as the nurse tried to push her out of the room.

"Ma'am, she's been given a sedative; she's going to be out for a while. The best thing you can do is to _let us do our jobs_." The nurse soothed. Jules finally stopped struggling and stared at the nurse. Those were the same words that she had used on different people when doing her own job.

Surrendering to the nurse's hold, she backed out of the room and turned just in time to see Sam coming down the hall way towards her.

She said nothing as he neared, she only sat down and wept silently into her hands.

It seemed like hours until she was allowed to see her daughter. Ariel had since stopped thrashing and was now sleeping, albeit less peacefully than before, and the two were allowed in to see her.

The two parents walked stiffly into the room. Ariel lay in the hospital bed, her chest rising up and down as a monitor beside her beeped.

Jules claimed the uncomfortable plastic chair next to the bed while Sam stood at the door, eyes cast towards the doorway as if in vigil.

There was silence in the small room, save the beeping of the monitor next to Ariel.

Neither parent spoke until Jules whispered gently, as if only to herself:

"Why would this happen to Ariel of all people?"

Sam didn't respond; frankly he didn't need to.

They fell back into the thick silence.

* * *

It was late. Later than he should have been there.

Greg knew this. Hell, he knew it when he had left nearly four hours before. But something felt unfinished; didn't feel right. So he came back with a coffee and a plan.

Sitting down in the briefing room with the case files, Greg began to flip through the pages.

After ten minutes of staring at the photos taken at the scene Greg's head began to pound and he shut the file, running a hand over his face.

"Still here?"

Greg's eyes shot up to see Spike standing in the doorway, a screw driver in hand.

"I could ask the same question. Babycakes?" Greg gestured to the wires sticking out of Spike's pocket and Spike smiled and nodded.

"Gave her a new software that makes it ten times easier to fire from more than a meter away. Pretty sweet tech. So what is my fearless leader doing here past midnight when we got off shift at nearly nine?" Spike turned the conversation around and Greg sighed.

"I just...don't get it." Greg threw his hands up and Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Don't get what, Boss?" Spike sat down next to him.

"Who would do something like this to Ariel? I mean, we're profilers, we look through everything about the victim, if they've stepped on anyone's toes or had past grudges, but we know for a fact that Ariel hasn't done any of that. She's the daughter of two cops for Pete's sake!" Before he knew it, Greg was ranting, nearly shouting.

Spike just sat, the same expression on his face. One of serene understanding and calm.

After Greg had settled back into his seat and apologized, Spike spoke.

"It's like when Lew died. He did nothing to deserve stepping on a land mine, but people are sick and do whatever it takes to get what they want." Spike murmured and Greg felt a pang of regret at seeing the pain in Spike's eyes as he spoke about Lou's death.

"We have to be missing something, though. What do these people want though?" Spike continued.

"Well here's what we do know..."

_***Four Hours Earlier***_

_"Sam." Greg called as his co-worker stepped out of the locker room._

_Sam looked up, his eyes glassy and swirling with pain._

_"Yeah, Boss?" Sam asked, his shoulders slumped and his voice thick with worry._

_"A minute." It wasn't a question._

_Sam sighed before checking his cell for the third time and following Greg into the briefing room. _

_Both men took seats at the table as a tense pause overtook the room._

_"Sam, what happened out there today?" Greg asked exasperated._

_Sam sighed and ran a hand over his face._

_"Ariel had the day off for conferences and since ours was last week, we requested to Holleran to take the day off, and yeah, I know, you already know that," Sam said as Greg opened his mouth then closed it and gestured for Sam to continue._

_"We were just going to the park with Officer and then coming home. It was _so_ simple; we just wanted to go to the park." Sam's voice cracked a bit and he cleared his throat to choke back the tears._

_"Jules, Ariel and I had been there for a little over an hour when my cell rang. I answered it even though I agreed to keep it in the Jeep...I should have kept it in the Jeep." Sam cursed and Greg wanted so badly to reassure him that having the damn cell had nothing to do with today, but he needed the whole story._

_"I answer the call and some guy with a Middle Eastern accent starts calling me 'Badass Jr.'. He starts calling himself my 'worst nightmare' . After that I just started getting pissed so I told him if he didn't tell me who he was I would report him." Greg nodded. It was a reasonable thing to do when someone starts threatening you, especially a cop._

_"But...he asked how I was able to do that while I was on my day off. Sarge, he was _**_watching_**_ me and my family. Hell, he even knew my dog was there!" Sam burst out and Greg stared at him in shock._

_"He was stalking you." Greg stated and Sam sighed before nodding._

_"But it wasn't just him...I could hear other voices on the end of the line, all speaking a foreign language; nothing I could distinguish." Sam continued and Greg chewed on the inside of his cheek._

_"Did he state any demands?" Greg asked and Sam was about to reply but he stopped himself._

**_"Operation Fox Trap. Details, Mr. Braddock, the clock is ticking."_**

_The words caught in Sam's throat and he struggled for a moment._

_Memories flashed behind his eyes and the events that had taken place back in the Sands came flooding back. Things he had tried so hard to forget and swore never to speak of again were on the tip of his tongue. He had an impossible choice; expose his secrets and help his daughter or say nothing and watch as she suffered._

_"They didn't get to the demands...I told them to go to hell and hung up." Sam murmured._

**_I'm so sorry, Ariel..._**

_Greg sighed and ran a hand over his face. _

_"Sam...you're trained for this, you know you should have found out the demands before you did anything! That's a rookie mistake Sam." Greg said sharply and Sam grimaced._

_"I wasn't really thinking about training at that second, Sarge. The only thing on my mind at the moment was how some stupid prank caller had messed up my day off and had my wife pissed off at me." Sam spat before shoving back from his chair and getting up._

_"Sam-" Greg started but Sam was already gone._

_***Present Time***_

"So Sam gets a call from some 'Mysterious Voice'," Spike put Mysterious Voice in air quotes before continuing, "and next thing he knows his daughter gets shot? That's a little sketchy, Boss." Spike concluded and Greg nodded.

"That's the problem, I feel like there's something Sam isn't telling us." he leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Well, no use calling him now. Poor guy's still probably at the hospital with Jules. We'll just talk to him when we get in tomorrow." Spike said, getting up from his seat and stretching.

"Yeah...Tomorrow." Greg murmured.

Both men got up from the table and left the briefing room, not knowing what the next day would hold.

* * *

**Well, that was lame. **

**Sorry guys, my plot bunnies have escaped once more and I hope to get chapter Six up during holiday break.**

**Happy Holidays!**


	6. Always

Chapter 6: Always

**Wha-what is this? AN UPDATE?! Mah Lord!**

**Okay, yes, I AM LATE! I'm sorry! But I had so much stuff going on, Pony Club, then Midterms, then break, and now I have a horse to take care of, we're doing a Spring Musical so all of my extra energy goes into that and all of this other crap is going on in my life and its just agsjhlabalfh;d.**

**So yeah, new installment of Sleeping in the Fox Trap! **

**Disclaimer: Yeah no, I don't own Flashpoint or else it WOULDN'T HAVE ENDED BLEHHHH** **I however do own Ariel and Officer. **

**And off we go!**

* * *

_Ariel_

The first thing I realized when I woke up was that I was in fact _not_ dead.

Who thinks about that right as they wake up? _Ah what a beautiful morning, oh hey look I'm not six feet under! Score!_

Now, another fact I noted was that I was also _not_ anywhere that was familiar and I was freezing.

My mother being from Medicine Hat, she despised the cold to a fiery passion (no pun intended), and even in the summer the house was unusually warm. I loved the warm weather and I myself hated the cold just as my mother did.

So to wake up and feel the temperature was probably low enough to freeze lava was a bit unnerving.

As I inhaled sharply, the smell of anesthetics and sterile cleaners filled my nose, bringing with them the memories of what had happened.

_Pain, a gunshot, screaming, Mom..._

Opening my eyes and sitting bolt upright, I looked around wildly.

I was in a bleak gray hospital room, dark and empty. Or so I thought.

A stirring beside me caught my attention and I turned to see my mom curled into the plastic chair next to my bed.

At first, relief washed over me to see her alive and with me. The relief however turned into concern as I studied her closely.

The bags under her eyes were prominent against her pale skin, obvious she hadn't slept very much. Her hair was frizzed and tied up in a messy bun above her head, her clothes rumpled and looked dirty, and I assumed she had come straight from shift.

Her lips were tugged down in a frown and her eye brows were furrowed giving her a pensive look.

Before I could stop myself, my hand was on her arm and with the slightest brush of my fingers she jumped awake.

I myself jolted back, startled by her reaction. Her doe brown eyes darted around the room before settling on me.

I watched as a slideshow of emotions washed over her face. Shock, relief, fear, love, and hurt.

We were both silent a moment. It was as if the world had stopped turning momentarily.

"Well...hi." I said and mentally kicked myself. _ You've been asleep for god knows how long and freaked your mother out beyond belief and you come up with 'Well...hi?'._

Mom looked as if I had just come back from the dead, which on later thought was probably what had happened. What day was it again?

"Ariel!" she shrieked and practically threw herself at me. The hug was bone-crushing and I let out a gasp as a bolt of pain shot through my stomach.

Mom reared back as if I had burned her, sitting back down on the chair.

"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized, but her hand never left mine.

"What...where am I? What happened? Where-What?" Incoherent words fumbled out of my mouth. I had a serious case of vertigo and it was as if I had just woken up from a very bad and confusing dream.

Mom, by this point, had tears tracking down her cheeks. She let out a half choked sob and hugged me again, a bit gentler this time, and ran a hand down my shoulder, grasping my arm.

"Thank god you're awake." she whispered. Not quite ready for another hug and still having not had my questions answered, I grabbed Mom's hands and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Mom, what happened?"

~*~*~*~*~ *Flashpoint*~*~*~*~*~

_Third Person_

Sam shifted in his seat, barely paying attention to whatever the Boss was saying on de-briefing. All of his thoughts had been revolving around Ariel, Jules, Ariel, work and back to Ariel, so that left little room for anything else.

Their patrols had gone well; nothing too serious other than a robbery at a Quickie Mart on Cherry Street and a domestic disturbance call between a sister and her rowdy brother. All in all, Sam's mind was sifting through the day with little interest, so he barely noticed when Sarge asked him about the domestic.

"Constable Braddock?"

Sam jumped and nearly fell out of his seat, earning a bark of laughter from Spike and Leah. Ed shook his head while Raf chuckled next to him.

Sam blinked before turning back to Sarge, whose eyebrows were raised in a silent question as he stood next to the projector.

"Er...Sorry Boss, what was the question?" he asked sheepishly. Sarge shook his head and sighed.

"I know Ariel has been worrying you and Jules, and rightfully so, but please Sam, keep your head in the game. You've been staring at your cellphone for the past ten minutes. If Jules is going to call, she will." Sarge gave him a look and Sam sighed, his shoulders sagging.

"You know I'm more of a face-to-face person, Sarge."

Everyone in the briefing room turned to look towards the entrance of the office.

Jules walked in, now in fresh jeans and jacket, her hair cascading down her shoulders, free of it's usual pony tail. A bright smile lit her face, a total one-eighty from what she had looked like at the end of shift when she had been excused to go and see Ariel.

"Jules? I thought you were at the-"

"Hospital? I was." she smiled as if it was just another normal day.

The look on Sam's face could only be one of confusion.

"And now you're back here..." he trailed off, the question in his words obvious.

Jules, seemingly not able to contain her information anymore, broke into a broad grin.

"Ariel's awake!"

* * *

Ariel sighed, boredom taking over as she flipped through a magazine. It was nearly noon, four hours since she had woken up and she had absolutely nothing to do.

After her mother had explained what had gone down at the park and answered to the best of her ability the questions her daughter had, Jules had left to go back and tell her father and the rest of Team One of her status.

And now Ariel was bored out of her mind.

She could barely move in the spacious white hospital bed, so taking a walk was out of the question. She didn't have her iPhone or her laptop so texting her friends to make sure they all knew _not_ to arrange her funeral wasn't an option. The Nurses weren't very talkative, going about their business and only stopping to answer questions like the time and if there had been any word from her parents.

Only the former really ever changed.

So she taken to some fashion magazine one of the nicer nurses had left behind for her and was currently reading it cover-to-cover for about the fifth time.

Ariel was just reading a section on _Summer Dresses - Does and Don'ts!_ for about the third time when the door burst open.

The teenager let out a small yelp of surprise as nine adults flooded into the room, still in uniform t-shirts and jackets of the SRU.

"Ariel!" they exclaimed at once, rushing to her bedside. She was attacked with hugs from her Aunts and Uncles and kisses from her parents. They crowded around her bed, asking questions all at once, talking so fast she could barely keep up.

"_Hold it!_" Ariel threw her arms up, wincing at the pain that shot through her abdomen at the sudden movements.

All adults fell silent at once and backed up a few steps from her bed.

Ariel let the beat of silence hang in the air for a moment more before letting her hands drop and a smile come across her face.

"One at a time please, I have two ears and ADD so shall we take it down a notch?"

The adults broke into quiet laughter as her father came forward once more to give her a hug, kissing her hair.

"It's so good to hear your voice, Ari." her father mumbled into her dirty-blonde locks. Ariel smiled at hugged him back as best as she could, but took in a sharp intake of breath as pain flared down her side once more.

"Dad, I'm glad to be back too, but bear-hugs aren't really helping like they usually do."

Sam let go immediately and Ariel sank back into the white sheets of the hospital bed, grumbling as she pushed the morphine button next to her, grimacing as her head began to feel fuzzy once more.

"If I _ever_ ask for morphine again after this, even if I'm joking, hit me over the head with something _hard_ because I will probably be hallucinating."

Greg smiled sadly at his niece. Even though no one in the room was related to Ariel by blood, Team One was family, so by extension Ariel was family as well.

"I guess we don't have to worry about you being hooked on Morphine." Spike joked, which earned weak laughter from everyone but Sam and Jules, whom were glaring daggers at Spike.

Suddenly, Ariel perked up a bit as she took in a breath through her nose.

"I smell food. Who has food?" she asked, eyes wide with urgency. That statement earned real laughter from the others as Marina and Sophie came forward, each with a small bag.

"A salad and cupcake because we _know_ how terrible hospital food can be." Sophie smiled at Ariel and rubbed her arm.

"I called Izzy to tell her you woke up, and she begged me to take her out of school to come and see you but sadly she was in the middle of an English test, so she says she's sorry she can't be here." Ed called from his spot leaning against the wall. Ariel slumped slightly.

Izzy and Ariel were best friends, growing up at the same age with such close-knit families made them almost like sisters, and where one went the other usually followed. This also meant that when one was injured or in pain, the other was almost always by her side.

When Izzy had needed surgery for a broken her wrist from soccer when they were in sixth grade, Ariel had begged her parents to let her visit Izzy everyday until she was out of the hospital. Many tears were shed and tantrums thrown and finally it ended up that Ariel stayed over in the hospital every weekend until Izzy was better.

Now that her best friend couldn't be there with her - both to entertain her and to talk to her - Ariel wasn't happy.

She sighed heavily before nodding in understanding. "Okay, but tell her when she gets here she owes me a Double-double from Timmies or I might not let her in the door." Cracking a weak smile, Ariel waved her hand as if to brush away the topic.

"So. Who has my cellphone?"

*~*~*~*~*~*Flashpoint*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It ended up that having so many visitors "disrupted the nurse's schedules", so one by one the SRU family was slowly kicked out.

Winnie and Spike were the first to go with promises to bring plenty of Spike's cooking next time they came.

After them it was Greg and Marina along with Raf and Leah, wishing Ariel to feel better and promising she would be out of the hospital in no time.

Ed, Sophie, Sam and Jules were the only ones left by nine o' clock, trying their best to keep Ariel's mind from the pain and entertain her. Jules had taken a permanent seat next to her daughter in the same uncomfortable plastic chair, running her hand through her daughter's long hair. Sam leaned against the wall with Ed, allowing Sophie to take the last chair in the room, next to the door.

Ariel had tried to stay awake, but the painkillers were doing their job and she felt groggy and tired.

Remembering this feeling and seeing her daughter experiencing it, Jules knew she needed her rest.

Nodding to Ed and then to the door, both Ed and Sophie took the gist and left quietly.

Turning back to her daughter, Jules smiled before kissing her forehead making a move to get up and leave.

Ariel then reached out with surprising quickness for someone so disoriented and caught her mother's hand.

"You'll be here when I wake up, right?" she pleaded with uncharacteristic panic. Jules squeezed her hand and nodded.

"Always."

* * *

**So yeah.**

**That was lame. But I worked through a TON of writer's block to get this out! **

**So yeah, I'll hopefully get more inspiration and get another chapter out soonish?**

**Ya know, if my plot bunnies don't run away again -_-;**

**Review please!**


End file.
